Overpowered weapons that require skill to aim like the grenade launcher feel satisfying enough to use, but losing one moments before a boss might determine whether a mission will be completed or not. That’s because special weapons and droid pickups get removed upon death, adding what feels like an unintentional “snowballing” effect that can ruthlessly render a run a success or failure. The basic mechanics of running, jumping, shooting, and melee-ing enemies never feels completely precise, with slight delays encountered upon landing from a jump that can completely upend a given playthrough. Now, though, players might want something more exciting than bite-size levels with funneling enemies, most of which are happy to kill you immediately with one stray hit. Playing the original Contra - either in its original arcade manifestation or NES adaptation - certainly brings its stumbles to the forefront. Koji Igarashi tried to outdo the standard he established decades ago, while Blazing Chrome never gets close to the highest watermarks of a once-ubiquitous genre. It’s hardly fair to simply rub the game’s nose in its classics or passionate sequels but, in 2019, a rank-and-file experience with little in the way of bells and whistles can’t help but feel lesser than that older hardware and software, unless it brings something vibrant to the fold that enlivens this rare genre. Retro-allegiances aside, the game never quite reaches the heights of something like Contra III, or even the enjoyable follow-up Contra ReBirth, ten years old at the time of this writing. All the pieces are there, and screenshots of the game seem tailor-made to tickle the desires of anyone old enough to remember smoke-filled dimly-lit arcades.īlazing Chrome doesn’t choke the landing by failing to hit the checklists of the games it clearly loves rather, in 2019, it’s somewhat discomfiting to imagine that any younger gamers will draw as much satisfaction and compliance to its dated standard. The narrative is pleasantly disposable, never getting in the way of the real action, with visuals that draw from memorable 80s classics like The Terminator and The Last Starfighter for a kitschy, theatrically-posturing nostalgic appeal, along with a satisfyingly crunchy and constant low-bit soundtrack. That means that the first mission includes jumping on wrecked cars, grappling across rails, and a perpetually burning city fallen prey to a techno-alien menace’s onslaught continuously stirring in the parallax-scrolling background. Let's Attack Aggressively! (Start of Battle) - Once every three weeks, Bill Rizer can convince every combatant on all sides of the battle he's in to abandon all plans and go headfirst into battle with the intent of getting their adrenaline pumping in the most over the top, stylish manner they can manage.The basic starter characters echo the Contra games which Blazing Chrome obviously admires, though it’s arguably the SNES run-and-gun masterpiece Contra III: The Alien Wars is the one most fiercely captured with adoration. This upgrade may be taken multiple times.īill Rizer gains 2 Nukes from Contra III. He may also pay triple the lives when using Locked and Loaded!, chosen with ability declaration, to respawn at the position of his death. The extra lives he takes from his stockpile will be gone after this ability resolves, and if Rizer is not rostered after declaring this ability, one third the lives rounded up will be taken from the stock during results if he was rosterable.Įxtend (Trigger) - Every week Bill Rizer is rostered on a victorious team, he will gain an extra life to his stock.īill Rizer inputs the Konami Code again, gaining an immediate 30 extra lives to his stockpile. Locked and Loaded! (Start of Battle) - Each week, Bill Rizer can take as many extra lives from his stockpile into battle with him as he wants, allowing him to respawn as he does in game when he dies that many times, though he won't lose his weapons from doing so and respawns at his team's starting position. Konami Code (On Purchase) - Bill Rizer gains a stock of 30 extra lives. All enemies are missing, with the exception of the unmanned turrets and fortress walls, which are still present and hostile to everyone. Terrain: Jungle - The first stage of Contra 1. (He has x extra lives, and when he dies he will respawn at his team's starting point, though without losing any weaponry.) Bill Rizer is as he appears in Neo Contra and Contra Rebirth, with all of the weapons he can use in those games, though he doesn't necessarily die in one hit here.
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